


It's Been Real Nice Knowing You

by Turacoverdin



Category: Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 | Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World (Anime)
Genre: Crack Treated Seriously, F/M, Gen, Not Reader-Insert, POV Second Person, Re:Zero Shorts, Surreal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:21:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28553037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turacoverdin/pseuds/Turacoverdin
Summary: You’re restocking a shelf with popcorn when you meet him. He stumbles into the store with a jingle of bells, and you look up to deliver a customer-service smile.“Emilia?” he says, and you pause in your restocking.“Hello,” you say after a moment. He just said your name, right? Right. There’s that immediate fear of a stranger knowing your name, but then you remember that you’re wearing a name tag and you relax. “How can I help you?”the re:zero shorts but they're surrealist horror
Relationships: Emilia & Natsuki Subaru
Comments: 15
Kudos: 63





	It's Been Real Nice Knowing You

**Author's Note:**

> i just read through the bond of ice thingy and wow??? puck makes so many puns??? the fact that i didn't know this is a _cat_ astrophe. they didn't include any of this in the anime!!! i suppose translating puns in a _fur_ eign gave them _paws_.
> 
> this is a weird blend of canon. hopefully it's at least somewhat coherent.

You’re restocking a shelf with popcorn when you meet him. He stumbles into the store with a jingle of bells, and you look up to deliver a customer-service smile.

“Emilia?” he says, and you pause in your restocking.

“Hello,” you say after a moment. He just said your name, right? Right. There’s that immediate fear of a stranger knowing your name, but then you remember that you’re wearing a name tag and you relax. “How can I help you?”

He’s looking at you strangely. He's a stranger. His eyes are scary looking. “Have...have we ever met before?” He sounds like he’s expecting a very specific answer.

“No, I don’t think so,” you say, and you’re mostly not lying. He seems familiar. He's a stranger. He doesn’t look surprised by your answer.

“In that case,” he starts, striking a pose. “My name is Natsuki Subaru! I am currently broke and unemployed!”

He’s so ridiculous that you have to giggle. “Nice to meet you, Subaru,” you say. “My name’s Emilia. Would you like to purchase anything?”

“Purchase? Who says that these days?” Subaru grumbles, wandering over to you. “Anything that Emilia gives me would be a blessing!”

You giggle again. You’re a bit surprised—normally you’re not this expressive.

You situate yourself behind the counter and gesture towards the sign of foods available for purchase, which he begins reading aloud and commentating on.

“Pizza,” he reads. “I haven’t had that one in a while. Cola, too. Emilia, do you like sodas?”

“Yes,” you say, after a moment. You don’t remember liking cola, or any other soda, but you don’t remember disliking soda either. You'd probably remember it, if you didn't like it. Right?

“Of course you do,” Subaru says confidently. “My Emilia has the best taste. What’s that? French fries? Aren’t those an American thing?”

You don’t respond, caught a bit off-balance by his rapid-fire words.

“Hey, Emilia?” Subaru’s not looking at the sign now. “Where are we?”

You blink, then tell him where he is with a laugh. “You’re silly, Subaru,” you say.

“Of course,” he says. His smile looks strange.

He’s overdramatic and overfamiliar, and you don’t understand half of what he’s saying, but you’re having fun. You like talking. You like having a casual conversation. You don't get to do that often.

Then a lady saunters into the store and something changes. Subaru shifts to watch her as she wanders up to the register.

“Elsa,” he says in greeting. “You’re looking as beautiful as ever.”

“Have we met before?” Elsa asks, turning her head to look at him. She’s swanlike and graceful, and she’s looking at him like he’s a particularly fascinating bug. You don’t want her looking at you. For a second, you don’t want her looking at him. For a second, you don’t want her looking anywhere—you want her out and away. You want her to never come back.

You stifle the strange feelings easily. You’re used to strange feelings. You think you are, at least. Sometimes it's a bit hard to remember. You're a forgetful person, right? You've forgotten things before. “What would you like to order?” you ask her.

“Just this, please,” she says, tossing a packet of candies onto the counter. You ring it up and hand it back to her. The transaction is almost completed—she’s almost gone, not that you care—when Subaru speaks up.

“Are you going to pay for that, too?” He points towards her purse.

“Oh, you noticed,” Elsa purrs. Her smile is condescendingly pleased—the bug has revealed itself to be even more interesting than she expected. You wish Puck was here.

She pulls out packages of candy and snacks from her purse. You watch. Her supply seems never ending. Shouldn't you have noticed this? You're good at noticing things, at catching people in the act, at reading intent. Subaru probably distracted you.

“See you around,” she says with another catlike smile. She turns and swaggers back to the exit.

Subaru clears his throat. “And?”

Elsa’s smile widens. She pulls out another little candy bar and drops it on the floor. She silently steps out the door.

“I’ve seen enough of her for several lifetimes,” Subaru mutters to himself. He turns and smiles at you. His eyes are tired. “She’s always got another blade.”

“Huh?”

Subaru looks at you. He’s not seeing you. You don't like that. You don't like when people look at you and see someone else. “Be careful around her,” he says. “I doubt she returned everything.”

He blinks, then looks down at his wrist. “Look at the time.” He is not wearing a watch. “Will you be here when I return?”

“I work here,” you say.

“My heart,” Subaru bemoans. “Such a callous response! My Emilia is beautiful yet cruel.”

He poses and gestures dramatically as he whirls away. The door swings shut behind him.

You spend the rest of the day thinking—not just about Subaru, although he certainly features heavily. It’s as you’re putting away your uniform that you happen to glance down at your nametag. It doesn’t say _Emilia._ It says _Satella._

You put it on. You meant it to say _Satella_. It's better that way.

You see Subaru a few more times over the next few weeks. Every time you see him, you end up giggling. He’s goofy and calls you _EMT_ and asks after Puck. This feels familiar. He’s overfamiliar and he knows things he shouldn’t and his mean eyes sometimes go terrifying dark, or even more terrifyingly blank. This feels familiar as well. It’s a strange cocktail of emotions—the dizzy joy of friendship and the warmth of his strange loyalty and the lurking uncertainty that rears its head whenever Subaru knows something he shouldn’t. This, too, feels familiar.

You should push him away. He shouldn't be here. It's better that way. This feels the most familiar of all.

You’re mopping up a spill when you think to ask someone else whether they’ve seen him at the store.

“Ram,” you say, and she looks up from her phone. “Have you seen anyone strange here?”

Strange is an oversimplification of Subaru, but it’s the most accurate description you can think of.

“Barasu,” Ram says, nodding. “Despicable human trash. Rem likes him.”

Rem sets down a large stack of boxes. She’s a very small girl. It occurs to you that she probably shouldn’t be able to carry as much as she can.

“Subaru is my hero,” she states. She says it like it’s a fact of the universe, like everyone should know this. Like to think otherwise would be insane.

“Do you…know him?” you ask hesitantly.

Rem looks at you. For the first time that you can remember, you can see both her eyes. It suddenly occurs to you that she’s dangerous. This understanding feels familiar. You are growing tired of this unfamiliar familiarity. You're supposed to have a good memory. You're not forgetful. You've only forgotten everything once, and you remembered afterwards, right? Why does it feel like you're forgetting something?

“I know him.” Rem leans forwards. “Do you?”

You have trouble falling asleep that night.

“Sometimes I don’t know whether Puck adopted me or I adopted him,” you tell Subaru. He laughs and you laugh with him. You like having someone to share stories with.

“Emilia, is Puck your dad or your cat?” Subaru asks, faux-serious.

You laugh again. “Sometimes I can’t tell, myself.”

Subaru is quiet for a little bit. When you look over at him, he’s lying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. You’re not worried. He does this sometimes. Amongst his oddities, this ranks low.

“Are you happy here?” he asks you.

You look down. The question is personal. Too personal. He shouldn't concern himself with your happiness. He shouldn't concern himself with you. Suddenly, you need distance. It's better that way. “That’s a very personal question,” you say. “We’re not that close,” you say. Your words sound like a reminder more than anything else. You don’t know whether the reminder is for you or Subaru.

You like talking to Subaru. You’ve talked to Subaru a lot. He’s only visited the store three times.

“Right.” Subaru is quiet for a little bit. You hear him take a deep breath. He stands and makes a production of leaving. You don’t look up until he’s gone.

You don’t see Subaru again for a while.

Is Puck your dad or your cat? He’s your family. You don’t know. You do know. He’s both. He's better. He’s neither. He’s not here right now.

Where is he? Why does he keep leaving? Maybe it's better this way. You miss him.

“What are we doing here?” you ask Ram.

Ram isn’t looking at her phone. You’re not sure where her phone is. You’re not sure what a phone is. “We’re waiting for Rem to finish cleaning up.”

That’s not the answer that you wanted. “I haven’t seen Rem around much lately,” you say.

Ram shrugs. “She’s been busy with her new friend.” She scoffs. “I don’t know what she sees in him.”

You nod awkwardly and lapse back into silence until Roswaal arrives with Otto, the new recruit. Otto is clearly confused and intimidated, and it’s easy to focus on showing him what to do. You don’t know how you wanted Ram to answer your question.

“Hey, have you seen Subaru around lately?” Otto askes you.

Your motions stall. “Subaru? You know Subaru?”

When you glance over at Otto, he looks concerned. “Of course I know Subaru,” he says. “Don’t you?”

“Juuust a smidge,” you say carefully. “He’s swung by a few times.”

“Oh,” Otto breathes out. He’s silent for a moment, then, “Do you mind covering the cash register for a little bit? I need to go ask a friend something.”

“Of course,” you say. He hurries off.

There’s a book sale today. You don’t know what the title is of the book being sold, nor what it’s about. It’s a fairly popular book, you think. You picked it up at some point and flipped through it. You’ve never read it.

Maybe you have read it, and then forgotten it. But that doesn't make sense—you remembered, didn't you? You remembered everything. Right?

Puck would know. You miss Puck.

You’re looking at the sign that’s supposed to display foods and prices when you realize you can’t read the writing on it. It’s unfamiliar and foreign. What had Subaru read off of it? Pizza? You don’t know what that is.

“Are these all the books?” you ask Ram as she sets a stack down in front of the display.

“Yes,” says Ram. Nearby, Otto carefully puts a book on top of the display with a flourish.

Otto turns to look at you. “I’m afraid I have to leave early,” he says apologetically. “There’s...a sale that I want to take advantage of before it’s too late.” He pauses. “It’s merchant stuff.”

You nod. You get it. Otto’s a merchant. You’re a little surprised that he’s stayed working here so long. It doesn’t make sense, really, when you think about it. Why is he staying here? Why hasn’t he left yet?

Maybe he can’t leave.

Can you leave?

Should you leave?

Where are you?

“We’ll be a liiiitle short on staff,” Roswaal drawls.

“That’s my cue!” Subaru shouts, kicking open the door. It swings closed violently in his face.

Ram laughs meanly. Subaru opens the door more carefully. His expression is sheepish.

“I’d like to help out with the sales,” he says.

Roswaal looks at Subaru like a cat would look at a canary. “We’d love to have yooooou,” he purrs.

For a split second, Subaru looks distrustful and resentful. You don’t like seeing him look like that. He should be happy. He'd be happier without you. Everyone would be happier without you. 

The expression fades as he turns to you.

“Where’s Rem?” he asks you flippantly.

You blink and tilt your head. “Subaru,” you say, “who’s Rem?”

Subaru flinches, hard, then turns to look away for a long moment. “Of course,” he mutters to himself. He turns back to you and he’s smiling. He doesn’t look happy. You made him not-happy. “Sorry. Stupid question.”

You’re concerned. “You don’t have to help out if you’re not feeling well,” you say, because he looks like he’s in pain.

Subaru waves you off. “Emilia-tan’s concerned about me,” he narrates. “Should I be happy that she’s worried? Ah, but I’m supposed to be the one protecting her!”

Ram _hmphs_ and tosses a book to Subaru. He fumbles it and drops it on his foot. “Barasu should not be trusted with any tasks,” Ram informs Roswaal while Subaru hops around on one foot.

“I’m sure heeee’ll be useful,” Roswaal says with another smile.

Subaru shoots Roswaal a glare and picks up the book. He flips through it.

He pauses on a page as you perfect the final details on the display. “Have you read this?” he asks you quietly. His face is pale.

“No. Should I?”

“I don’t really like the main character,” Subaru decides. He closes the book. You head over to the cash register, next to Ram, and he trails after you.

“I’m sorry for what I said last time you were here,” you say after a moment. You’ve missed Subaru. You hurt him, and you don’t like that. You shouldn't hurt people. You always hurt people. You should stay. Stay here. Stay away.

“You shouldn’t be,” Subaru says softly. “You were right. You don’t know me.” He adds, “I’m trying to get better at treating you like a normal person, like you said. It’s hard, but I’m trying.”

You're important to Subaru. This is a fact. You don't know how you didn't know this before.

You nod, because that sounds right. It sounds right like Ram’s response didn’t. And then you stop, because no, something’s still wrong. “I know you,” you say.

“Do you?”

“Yes—yes, I think so.”

“Where are we, Emilia?”

You don’t know how to answer the question. “The store.” You don’t know how to answer the question, but you know your answer is wrong.

“...Right,” Subaru says, and it’s wrong, wrong, wrong.

No customers enter the store during the sale. When the day ends, and Ram and Roswaal and Subaru have all left, there are no books left. You’ve sold out. You don’t know where the books went. When you think about it too hard, your chest starts to hurt and your vision starts to darken.

You go home and—no, you don’t. You don’t go home. You haven’t gone home for a while. You haven’t left the store.

The last time you saw Otto was before the book signing. He doesn’t come back. Ram and Roswaal don’t come back, either.

They’ve left. Everyone always leaves you. That's good. That's better than if they stayed. You hurt people. You should stay here. Stay away.

You miss Puck.

You spend a lot of time staring out the windows. You can’t see outside. The door has been silent for a while. It has bells on it, you notice. They’d only jingled when Subaru came and left. When Otto left. When Ram left. When Roswaal left.

The don't jingle with customers.

Have you ever had any customers?

No one comes into the store. No one leaves. You’re the only one left. Where are you? You can’t remember.

You're supposed to be able to remember. You miss Puck.

You miss Subaru, too, and Ram, and Roswaal. You should stay here. You should stay away. You hurt people. You don't want to stay away. You're greedy, greedy, greedy. Is that your sin?

The bells on the door jingle and your head snaps up. “Subaru,” you breathe out. You’re relieved. You've missed him. You shouldn't have, but you did.

“Emilia,” Subaru says. He looks strange. He looks tired.

“Where are we?” you ask him.

Subaru picks up a bag. _Chips,_ Subaru had called them. He’d given them to Petra during the snow festival. “Are you happy here?” he asks you.

You don’t know. “I don’t know.” You walk out from behind the cash register. “But...I don't want to stay here.”

It's greedy of you to want to be with everyone else. You'll hurt them. They want you to be happy, though, right? Maybe you can be happy for them.

“I’m the only one left,” you say. This truth feels right. It feels real. You think you’ve been confusing the two. You know you’ve been confusing the two. It isn’t nice to know the difference, but it’s right. It’s real.

Subaru nods. He’s not looking at you. He walks to the cash register. “It was...nice, being back.”

Maybe it wasn't your sin that trapped you here. Maybe it was his. Maybe it was both of yours.

“Subaru.” Your voice is soft. You can stay here. You can stay away. You don't want to stay here. You don't want to stay away. You want to be happy.

Subaru holds out his hand. “Let’s go, Emilia.” You take it. It feels right. Real.

The door jingles behind you as you leave.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!


End file.
